The Threshold Child (40 page)

He looked both pleased and relieved. “Very well. We should hurry,
though. I am sure that Wren’na is anxious to dote on us.”

Adesina nodded and followed her brother out of the palace.

Her brother proved to be right about his wife’s reaction to their
arrival. Wren’na was a flurry of movement as she put together a meal that would
feed twice their number. Adesina tried to offer to help, but Wren’na quickly
shook her head.

“No, no! You have had a long journey and deserve a rest. You can
have a look around the house, or E’nes can show you where you will be staying.
As soon as supper is finished I will draw you a hot bath.”

E’nes smiled ruefully and gave a small shrug. Adesina knew it
would be futile to argue, and so decided to explore her brother’s home.

The arched doorway came to a gentle peak, and the door itself was
carved with a beautiful woodland scene. Adesina was amazed by the care that
went into every small detail in the city of Yavar. The main room had a
fireplace and several comfortable chairs. There was a table where Wren’na was
setting up for the meal in the back corner, two strange looking instruments
propped up against the wall and an easel with canvas and paints.

Adesina’s wandering then took her upstairs. There was a small
study with a desk strewn with maps and papers. There was also a small painting
of E’rian hung on the wall. Adesina wondered how much the painting looked like
her mother during her life. When Adesina had seen her in the Dreams, she was
much more brilliant, much more lovely. However, that might have been the
influences of the spiritual realm.

There were three bedrooms upstairs. One for E’nes and Wren’na, one
for guests and one that was set up with a crib. Adesina was staring at the
small bed in disbelief and didn’t even hear E’nes walk up behind her.

“What do you think? Does it meet your approval?”

Adesina gestured to the cradle. “Are you going to be a father?”

E’nes smiled wistfully. “Not yet. But we hope to have a child soon.”

He beckoned for her to follow him to the guest room. “This is
where you will be staying. There is warm water for washing, and Wren’na asked
me to tell you that supper will be ready soon.”

The room was set up similar to her room in the High City. There
was a bed, a desk and a wooden screen behind which she could change her
clothes. There was a beautiful painting hung on the wall that depicted a wild
lily on the edge of a forest stream. It seemed so real that Adesina felt she
could reach out and touch its pedals.

Her eyes drifted to the window. The sun was getting lower on the
horizon, giving a warm glow to the city. They were in the northern section of
Yavar, which was more residential than the part of the city they entered. The
houses were modest and idyllic, with well-tended gardens and occasional
domestic animals. Groups of children were running up and down the lanes,
shouting and laughing and singing.

The sound of mothers calling their children home to supper and
yells of joy when those children saw their fathers arriving home filled the
golden air. Lanterns along the street were being lit, and birds were trilling
their evening songs from tree branches and rooftops.

Adesina sighed softly and went downstairs to join her brother and
his wife for supper. An enticing combinations of scents met her, making her
realize how much she had missed Jelana’s cooking. E’nes gave a prayer of
thanks, and they began their meal.

The tradition of giving a prayer to some sort of deity was
something that Adesina had noticed about the L’avan. She knew that there were
several different cultures that believed in higher powers, but it surprised her
that an advanced race such as the L’avan indulged such beliefs. She had never
brought the subject up for discussion, though. She didn’t want to offend them
with her strong sense of skepticism.

The meal was filled with simple, pleasant conversation. E’nes and
Wren’na always included Adesina, but did not require her to speak if she was
disinclined. Adesina had anticipated feeling like an outsider in her brother’s
home, but that wasn’t the case. Wren’na welcomed her into the family without
reserve, treating her as she would her own sister. Adesina felt that, given
time, she could truly belong in a place like this.

That night, when Adesina went to bed, she couldn’t help but
compare the warm contentment she felt now with the dissatisfaction she had felt
every night in the Shimat fortress. There was something radically different in
how the L’avan chose to live their lives, and it affected her more than what
she would have thought possible.

She wanted to belong to these people, and she was willing to work
to make that a reality.

Adesina wasn’t surprised to see Ravi sitting downstairs speaking
with E’nes the next morning. Even in a place he deemed safe enough for her to
wander around on her own, he never felt comfortable leaving her alone for too
long.

Wren’na walked into the main room, carrying a loaf of fresh bread.
She set it on the table along with a small bowl of butter. “Good morning, Adesina.
Did you sleep well?”

With a nod, she replied, “Yes, thank you.”

E’nes cut the bread into thick slices, putting them on three
plates. Wren’na went back into the kitchen to fetch a jug of chilled milk
before sitting down for the meal. The bread appeared to have some sort of fruit
baked into it, and it was still warm enough to melt the butter that was spread
on it.

As they ate, Ravi told Adesina about his evening. “I returned to
the Rashad lands to pay my respects to Rajan.”

The young woman’s brow furrowed. “Who is Rajan?”

“He is the leader of the Rashad,” E’nes explained.

Ravi nodded. “The Rashad do not have a conventional form of
government, but every generation a new leader is born.”

Adesina was amused by how simply he stated it, as if it were the
most rational thing in the world. “How do you know when the new leader is born?
Who decides?”

Her brother laughed softly. “It is fairly easy to tell.”

Wren’na gave her husband a look of gentle reprimand for his
teasing. “Most Rashad are born with yellowish fur and blue eyes. The leader is
always born-”

“With black fur and golden eyes,” Adesina finished for her,
staring hard at Ravi.

She had assumed that his coloring had some sort of significance,
but she had not anticipated something like this. Adesina was bothered that he
had never mentioned this to her. Ravi looked completely unaffected by the
sudden revelation of his secret.

“You never told me that you were the future King of the Rashad.”

Ravi almost rolled his eyes. “Not a king. The Rashad are not a
monarchy.”

She gestured impatiently. “Still.”

He shrugged. “It does not matter anyway. I will not be leader of
anyone for many years.”

“It seems I am surrounded by secret royalty,” she muttered
moodily.

Her guardian gave her a significant look. “Just because we are
born to a certain task does not change who we really are.”

Adesina knew that comment had just as much to do with her as with
himself. She didn’t know whether to scowl or smile at him. She settled on
changing the subject. “What are the plans for today?”

E’nes shifted uneasily. “Well, I have been summoned to a meeting
with the king. L’era has offered to show you around Yavar while I am gone.”

Adesina studied her brother, searching for the source of his
discomfort. “Who is L’era?”

“She is L’iam’s younger sister. You saw her yesterday, I believe.
I am sorry that I cannot spend the day with you, but I promise to make it up to
you.”

She shrugged, amused that he embarrassed over something so simple.
“I understand the necessity of duty, E’nes. Do not trouble yourself.”

After breakfast they walked back to the palace, where a group of
people were waiting on the stairs to the entrance. Adesina recognized L’iam,
his sister, Sa’jan and Ri’sel. The two other men were strangers to her.

L’era stepped forward eagerly and introduced herself. “I am so
happy to meet you, Adesina. I asked my brother if I could show you around while
the men talk about their boring matters of state.”

Adesina wasn’t sure how to take such a statement. L’era’s voice
was teasing, but her expression was somber. It wasn’t until a dazzling smile
broke over her lips that Adesina knew to smile in return.

L’iam turned to speak to Ravi, who was at his customary place at
Adesina’s side. “Would you be willing to join us in our meeting, old friend? I
know it goes against your inclination to leave Adesina unattended, but I assure
you that my sister will not take her anywhere dangerous.”

The Rashad smiled ruefully. “Adesina has the uncanny ability to
find danger in the most unlikely places.”

His young ward started to protest, but Ravi smiled and overruled
her sputtering. “I will join you in your meeting if you wish.”

Adesina was going to say something rude and sarcastic about Ravi’s
state of mind and opinion of danger, but Ravi looked at her with such a sweet
mixture of affection, teasing and genuine concern, that she could do nothing
but scowl faintly.

L’era grabbed her hand. “Come on. There is so much to see!”

The princess had the whole day planned out. They began in the
marketplace, where the travelers had ridden through the previous day. Adesina,
who was only used to the Square in the High City, was amazed by all the noise
and motion.

Each merchant’s stand was brightly colored and had lavish displays
of their products. The sellers laughed and joked with each other, heckling the
customers of other dealers good-naturedly.

Performers stood along the streets with bowls or baskets set out
in the hope of payment. There were jugglers, acrobats, fire-breathers, singers,
puppeteers, dancers, musicians, actors, animal trainers, and many others. The
visitors to the market alternated between inspecting the carts and stopping to
watch a show.

Adesina was sorry that she had no money, but she soon found that
there were advantages to being in the company of a princess. Many of the
vendors gave them small gifts when they perused the booth. They were given
packets of almonds roasted with sugar and cinnamon, small jars of spices,
bangles for their wrists, handkerchiefs edged with lace, and so forth. Most of
the things pressed in her hand did not interest her, but she was pleased with
the idea of passing them on to Wren’na.

When they stopped at a cloth merchant’s kiosk, a beautiful blue
fabric caught Adesina’s eye. It was the color of the sky on an early winter
morning and shimmered as if sprinkled with moon dust. It was smooth to the
touch, similar to satin but lighter in weight. L’era saw Adesina admire it and
pulled out her purse. Adesina protested as soon as she realized her intent, but
L’era would not hear it.

“I am going to have a formal gown made for you. Every girl needs
at least one.”

L’era ignored the sounds of Adesina trying to reason with her and
began speaking to the merchant, who also happened to be a dressmaker. She gave
a description of the style she wanted while the merchant did a quick sketch.
Then she threatened Adesina into holding still while the merchant took her
measurements.

After that, Adesina suggested moving on to a new part of the city.
She didn’t want to run the risk of L’era buying her anything else to
accessorize the new dress.

From the market they went west, exploring the city moving
clockwise. They came first to an enormous library. The building was made from a
grayish blue stone and looked as if it had been designed to emulate the flow of
river. There were a number of large stained glass windows, all of which had
water themes depicted.

L’era pointed all of these features out and explained, “It is
symbolic of the flow of knowledge.”

When they walked inside, Adesina was completely stunned by the
sight before her. She had never seen so many books in her entire life, and that
included the immense Shimat library. Her time in the High City had taught her
that books were actually a rare thing. She had always assumed that the whole
world used books as casually as the Shimat. Adesina soon learned that books
were a very expensive luxury in which most people did not bother to invest.

Here in Yavar the walls were covered in volumes, freestanding bookcases
stood in orderly rows across the floor and there were ladders to reach the
books that were placed higher up. A grand staircase to the back of the building
indicated that there were other floors such as the first one.

Adesina wandered among the endless tomes, touching their spines
and reading titles. There was also a much greater variety of books than in the
Shimat library. Here there were volumes on plant and animal life, trade and
economy, ship building, astronomy, mathematics, weaponry, history, maps,
architecture, music, art—the topics just went on and on. In the Shimat library,
most of the books had to do with one’s training. Everything else was considered
unnecessary.